Identity Europa (IE) began in 2016, as a project founded by Nathan Damigo. The focus was on mass-movement building among white, college-age youth, typically framed in terms of white “Identitarianism”, and influenced by European organization Generation Identitaire, or Generation Identity. A significant part of IE’s messaging has focused on shifting away from openly racist rhetoric, and establishing a respectable facade for their organization by claiming that they merely support “pro-white” positions. However, this hasn’t stopped IE organizers or members from planning and engaging in violence, publicly promoting carefully-phrased racist and anti-Semitic talking points, and privately trading in overtly racist memes despite their leaders’ calls for careful optics.

Membership applications arrived in huge numbers after Damigo attacked a counter protester in Berkeley in April of 2017, alongside members of the “Rise Above Movement”. Identity Europa was also deeply involved in planning the fascist and white supremacist “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, in August of 2017, which resulted in the death of Heather Heyer and injury to 19 others. A leaked internal document instructed IE members to expect “to have a large number of friendly people attend this rally ranging from Alt-Lite, Oath keepers, Proud Boys, and Trumpists to Identitarians, Neo-Confederates, national socialists and other Alt Right groups.”

Rose City Antifa has reported on local IE affiliates in the past. Jacob Ott was a fixture at many local Patriot Prayer events until he was doxxed by Rose City Antifa, and went underground. A group of fascists centered around the remnants of the Portland State University Students for Trump, including Ethan Devries, Cody Bussard, Matt Duffy, Natasha Mazur, Eric Steele, Stephen Johnston, Tylor Phelps, and Liam Wynn also were present at Patriot Prayer events, and had many ties to Identity Europa. This fits in with the stated mission of the group, to recruit white, predominantly male, college students and encourage them to go out and conduct racist propagandizing and political “activism.” As reported by Unicorn Riot, racist, anti-Semitic, and Nazi content is rampant on the server:

Another area where Identity Europa’s basis in fascist and Nazi ideology betrays itself is their attitudes towards Jewish people. While the organization only allows white people to be members, this does not include Jews, who Identity Europa considers to be non-white. Discord user ‘FACINEMA’ asked the group “were you asked if you were of non-semetic heritage during your interview? I was.” CEO Patrick Casey, who used the Discord username Reinhard Wolff, clarified that “Jewish individuals cannot join IE, and we screen for this during the interview process.” A search of Identity Europa’s chat logs shows that members have mentioned the ‘JQ’ or ‘Jewish question’ over 150 times.

Recently, after the initial bad publicity caused by the exposure of members like Damigo, Ott, James Allsup and others, IE has attempted to implement a stricter vetting process. People pursuing membership in the organization must complete two consecutive face-to-face interviews with senior IE members within their geographic region. After their first interview, they gain baseline access to main IE Discord channels, and then once second interview is completed at a later date, they’re granted full access and member privileges within the various IE Discord chats. In the Discord channels, Identity Europa members across the country plan propaganda campaigns for various colleges, regional networking meet-ups, and other activities such as supporting white supremacist GOP politician, Steve King.

Along with other anti-fascists working in the region, Rose City Antifa has identified these members of Identity Europa from the Discord chat logs, and would like to present these white supremacists to their communities.

After a year at UW, Labudda transferred to Eastern Washington University in Cheney, WA, where he began to regularly put up racist Identity Europa propagada materials on numerous college campuses in the area, including his own. By himself, or with one or two other local IE members, Labudda was responsible for a large percentage of the Identity Europa posters and stickers that appeared on the following campuses over the past two years: Gonzaga University, Washington State University-Spokane, Eastern Washington University, Spokane Community College, Spokane Falls Community College, Washington State University, and (when he was still in the area) University of Washington. He also posted frequently in chats with his fellow Identity Europa members about each round of his white nationalist flyering, makingfun of the anti-hateevents his fellow students held in response, and gloating about his school’s inabilityto identify him as the culprit.

Jacob Labudda is seen bragging about putting up white supremacist posters on his own campus at Eastern Washington University

Chad Jerald states that he uses his membership in the College Republicans as cover for attending fascist meetups and conferences.

Chad Jerald makes it abundantly clear in the logs that he considers the College Republicans– as a political group– bland and ineffectual, and therefore a fertile ground for recruiting receptive young adults into white nationalist organizations like Identity Europa.

In a series of excerpts fraught with anti-Semitic tropes, Chad Jerald discusses his disdain for College Republicans and his strategy of propagandizing other college students into gradual acceptance of extreme racist ideologies and hate groups.

Chad Jerald and Jacob Labudda discuss the internal politics of UW College Republicans, name-dropping both Chevy Swanson and Jessie Gamble.

Chad Jerald is seen wearing his special Border Patrol hat while holding a racist banner at the Flathead County Veterans Memorial in Kalispell, MT.

Chad Jerald is clearly visible among other Identity Europa fascists in Kalispell, MT.

Also like many current far-right activists, Chad Jerald claims to be a recent convert from leftist and socialist politics into explicit white nationalism. He also states his intentions to turn his girlfriend into a white nationalist.

Some of the racist messaging Nicholas Williams was exposed to in the closed Patriot Prayer Facebook group before he moved on to join the fascist white nationalist organization Identity Europa

Nicholas Williams participates in a Patriot Prayer Facebook discussion denigrating law students who staged a sit-in to show solidarity with survivors of sexual assault

Nicholas Williams was also apparently oblivious to the clear level of collaboration between the Portland Police and the violent bigots, fascists, white nationalists, and neo-Nazis who make up Patriot Prayer. He can be seen imitating the complaints of far-right, fascist-enabling hucksters like Joey Gibson in the screenshots from the Patriot Prayer Facebook group shown here.

Nicholas Williams complains about Patriot Prayer receiving unsatisfactory customer service from Portland Police Bureau during their violent incursions into Portland.

Williams takes part in a conversation about how IE can further infiltrate the Republican Party and “awaken” their membership to fascist and white “identitarian” views.

Williams discusses instances where his friends have gotten in trouble for racism at school in the Identity Europa Discord chats. One of his fellow fascists suggests that they should use the neo-Nazi dog-whistle slogan “It’s Okay To Be White” as a counterargument

Williams talks about his plans to rip down Black History Month posters at his school with his friends.

Nicholas Williams talks about his mother’s resistance to his racist and anti-Semitic rhetoric

Williams notes that his English teacher is Jewish while complaining that the class discussed gender roles.

Williams repeats common neo-Nazi talking points about Jewish people owning the media.

While full information about Gerasimyuk can be found on Rose City Antifa’s article about him in connection with his PDX Stormer activity, a few particular instances of evidence for his racist and neo-Nazi beliefs are reproduced here.

Leaked internal chats reveal Matthew Blais (aka “Not Alois Brunner”) and Bogdan Gerasimyuk (aka “ChuckShoomer”) in coordination with other neo-Nazis such as Jimmy Marr prior to Joey Gibson’s rally. It also gives a glimpse of the glee Gerasimyuk felt at being able to openly yell racial slurs while among Joey Gibson’s racist followers.

Gerasimyuk wore a “parteiadler” Nazi pin to Patriot Prayer’s April 29, 2017 rally, when he attended with other PDX Stormers. Other attendees made him remove it because it made Gibson’s event look bad, but the PDX Stormers were allowed to stay.

(Top) Excerpts from the CCC logs show Bogdan Gerasimyuk and Matthew Blais informing other participants regarding Identity Europa’s plans for Joey Gibson’s hate rally. (Middle) Jimmy Marr calls for his fellow neo-Nazis in the CCC Discord to help him display an anti-Semitic banner over the freeway in Portland. Gerasimyuk initially volunteers, but later (Bottom) bails out on the plan.

Members of the CCC chat hold an anti-Semitic banner over I-205 in SE Portland during Joey Gibson’s June 4, 2017 hate rally downtown.